Sea grass ID and monitoring with local volunteers

Karin Dubsky, Dr Annetta Zintl, Dr Ilaria Vielmini, Keith Hardy, Peter White, Patrick O Shea, Conor

Pyle, Alan Walsh

Trinity College Dublin, Dublin 2

Tel: +353 (0)53 94 25843

Email: kdubsky@coastwatch.org

Web: www. coastwatch.org

SEA GRASS IS VALUABLE

• ‘Filet steak’ for Brent Geese

• Home to winkles, fish and other organisms

Sea

Sea Grass is officially monitored by government agencies. The EPA surveys intertidal beds and links results to ecological water quality under the wfd The NPWS monitors select sublittoral Zostera beds in protected sites. - Map of sea grass and sea weed monitoring from Robert Wilkes.

Coastwatchers record presence of sea grass in annual Coastwatch surveys

Some sea grass locations found are outside the officially (EPA and NPWS) monitored areas.

Few people know the grass and thus sea grass beds are vulnerable to accidental damage.

Sea grass areas are fragile.

Coastwatch coordinsation sought EPA training, with view to disseminating to

local groups who had found the sea grass.

EPA

Coastwatch core team

Local groups

Local group

Local groups

Local groups Local group A

Robert Wilkes EPA seaweed and sea grass expert training Coastwatch volunteers in Dublin Bay – looking for: Species present and Seagrass bed spatial extent

SEAGRASSES and WFD

• Seagrasses are disturbance sensitive (Short & Wyllie-Echeverria, 1996)

• Their presence, health and abundance are used to indicate a water body’s classification as being at good or higher status in the WFD

Threats: include trampling, pollution and aquaculture.

The EPA method was adapted as surveyors were trying

it out in Donegal, Louth and Waterford.

Coastwatch Seagrass protocol

From local sea grass query to results

Record or query from local surveyors, Fishermen mention they might have some plants which fit the bill. Memory of Sea grass use in local community.

Discuss and Arrange ID fieldtrip around suitable tides mid summer to early winter.

Formal sea grass ID training

Surveying

Results mapping and note for local circulation

Results shared with National Biodiversity Data Centre and EPA.

Not found Follow up action needed?

Two sea grass beds had been noted on previous Coastwatch survey on Inch Island

L Swilly, Co Donegal

Lough Swilly Inch Island after indoor training session

• Intertidal Bed at Inch House surveyed with volunteers from L Foyle and L Swilly

• Surveyors included fishermen, school teachers, interested public.

Both genotypes of

Zostera noltii were found in

A seagrass bed > 500 m long

Lough Swilly Inch Island

Mapping this large Intertidal Bed at Inch House

Lough Swilly Inch Island

Sublittoral Zostera marina bed north of Mill Bay (upper limit only) 1st pointed out by local fishermen. Survey at lowest spring tides (Ilaria

Vielmini)

Tramore Co Waterford Back Strand Sea grass recovery around the Dump

Tramore

• Return of intertidal Zostera noltii at the dump edge.

• Zostera marina patches in the tidal channel running parallel to the dump.

• But Noted:

• Large amounts of Z. marina

washed up along the tideline

• Blackened grass blades

in both intertidal & sublittoral seagrass beds.

Dundalk Bay

• Zostera patches numerous in the SPA and SAC site notes based on 1990s survey.

• After extensive survey only 2 small areas of Z noltii were found high on the shore.

The bay has been subject to intensive suction dredging for cockles licensed up to high water.

Sea Grass and Ulva species

• Dundalk bay - Ulva carpet - mistaken ID at abandoned oyster farm, but small Zostera noltii patches in the mid bay.

Threat note

• benthic trawling or rhizome disturbance during shellfish picking or bait digging; vessel mooring, e.g. anchor-chain scour, moorings or beaching of boats; coastal defence engineering, e.g. building groynes, sea walls or breakwaters, beach replenishment, dredging for coastal/harbour development; industrial development, e.g. land reclaim, harbour construction/maintenance, artificial reefs; and, waste dumping, e.g. sewage discharge

Sea Grass Protection

Designation is not enough!

Need local support

HOW?

ID Skills & knowledge empower.

Buy in: Seagrass is a quality indicator to be proud of!

Result: more care with own action and readiness to protect, watch out for, help restore and defend from damage.

Thank you

to Dr. Robert Wilkes EPA for training, Volunteers in Donegal, Dublin,

Waterford and Dundalk and NPWS Full list of participants being compiled.

Funding: All participants gave their time gratis.

We covered essential costs from own means and Coastwatch core funding. Depending on

whether we can recover costs and get sponsorship for print up, hard copies of results

and the protocol will be produced.